A questionnaire on behalf of Bury St Edmunds-based Greene King found the “did it hurt when you fell from heaven” line was the most popular among almost 2,000 people asked to name their favourite. Other popular lines were found to be “hello gorgeous”, “can I buy you a drink” and ‘get your coat, you’ve pulled”.

Greene King’s Mark Blythman said: “It is hard for many people to make that first approach, so a chat-up line can really break the ice.”

Out of the thousands questioned, 42% admitted that they actually liked chat-up lines, and almost a third (31%) said that chat-up lines had worked on them in the past.

Detractors of chat-up lines may be surprised to know that 58% thought they actually worked in person, whereas only 35% said they worked online or by text.

The influence of social media could be seen in the survey’s top 10, with “WhatsApp” – a popular phone messaging service – featuring as the nation’s sixth favourite pick-up line.

The rest of the top 10 was made up of “how you doin”, “haven’t I seen you somewhere before”, “how do you like your eggs for breakfast”, “do you come here often”, and the classic “you must be tired – because you’ve been running through my mind all night”.

The survey was commissioned to mark the launch of Greene King’s Love Inn Day in May, when free dating events will be held across the country.